Solace in Illusions
by Mitsuye-san
Summary: She was a master of illusions, yet she was always surprisingly honest. He was a force that killed everything in his path, yet he was surprisingly kind. They were two sides of the same coin, yet they managed to become the best of friends. Eventual ZerefxMavis
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I just recently got _obsessed _with this pairing, and thus this was born.

**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to their rightful owners.

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><p>Leaves wilted and curled into themselves before they broke off and disintegrated, their dead ashes drifting away on the wind. The trees lost their bright brown color, growing darker and more ominous as the black miasma spread with each step he took. Birds flying overhead dropped to the ground with all the grace of a dead fish, littering the landscape with their corpses.<p>

He stopped and stared at what he did.

Death was the only way to describe it. There was no need to mince words when it was so obvious.

"Oh, look!" He tensed and clung to his deadly magic; of all things, he didn't want to kill a person.

So he was surprised when a beautiful pink flora was shoved in front of his face, bright in color, but most of all_alive_.

"Isn't it pretty?" The girl who asked was wearing a vibrant smile of her own, waiting patiently for his answer.

Taking a slight step back (more for her protection than his), he quietly replied, "Yes, it is."

Her smile widened and she reached out for his hand, intending to give him the flower, but he pulled away. She stared, calculating and analytic, but still warm with naive kindness. Kneeling she let the flower roll onto the ground until it stopped before his feet and grinned.

"Look, it wants you to pick it up."

He blinked. She wasn't serious, was she?

Sensing his hesitation, she attempted to subtly push it to him with her finger, imploring him to reach for it. Her gaze urged him to do as she wished.

His eyebrows pulled together, and looked back and forth from the girl's encouraging nods and the plant lying at his feet. Letting out a breath, he crouched down, making sure to concentrate on reigning in his magic, and let his fingers ghost over the stem.

He didn't want to disappoint the first to have such unwavering faith in him.

With that notion in mind he shut his eyes and let his fingers curl around the stem, lifting it from the ground. Instead of the all too familiar feeling of ashes piling up in his palm, the smooth petals brushed against his skin. Peeking his eyes open, he stared at the perfectly unharmed flower.

"You did it."

She was smiling at him, brighter and happier and satisfied. She pushed herself off her knees, standing taller than he was crouching, and patted his head proudly.

"Good job."

He twirled the flower between his thumb and forefinger, noticing how her movements weren't stiff, weren't scared. How her arm didn't already deteriorate under the effects of his magic.

"Its an illusion," was all he said, and he looked up at the child who seemed to never stop smiling at him.

"It is."

"Why?" Did you do this, did you come here?

She threw her hands out to her sides, a lively motion amongst the dead backdrop. "You can kill anything with one drop of your magic, you were alone, you were - are - death walking on two feet."

She looked at him straight in the eyes, serious and surprisingly honest. "But even you can't kill those who have a strong heart and unbreakable will."

"And you possess both?" He stood, meeting her gaze head on.

"No," she answered honestly, shaking her head, "not anymore."

She grinned at him. He raised an eyebrow.

"I gave it to you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Solace in Illusions**

**Chapter 2**

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><p>"Mavis."<p>

She glanced up from the flowing water, tilting her head at Zeref who sat a short ways away from the bank. He looked uncomfortable, one hand clenched tightly together as it was, but his face remained blank.

"What are you doing?"

Her hands shot into the water when she felt a slight disruption in the current, her hands grabbing nothing but water. Pouting, she glared at the fishes swimming expertly though the rocks and aquatic plants away from her reach.

"I'm fishing." Seeing another chance, she leaped toward the elusive fish, her fingers latching onto its tail. A large splash sprayed small droplets of river water in every direction it chose, some deciding to land on Zeref's face. He wiped it off with his sleeve, unperturbed.

Mavis emerged from the water, grin proudly in place, as she carried the fish in her arms like a too large trophy. Shewas soaked from head to toe, her hair dragging behind her as she walked across the grass to him. Dropping the flopping fish in front of him, she plopped down as well, wringing out her hair andfutiley wiping the water off her face with her drenched sleeve.

He watched as she dried herself, though dry was used loosely, as all she did was move the water whichever way she wiped. "Here," he sighed, taking off the white toga hanging over his shoulder, "take it."

Taking it with no hesitation and a thankful smile, she carefully wiped down her face. "Thank you," she mumbled, folding it together once she finished."I'll return it tomorrow after I clean it."

_Tomorrow_, he thought.

He closed his eyes, crossing his legs, and sat in silence. Mavis wouldn't bother him, he knew, because she would quickly find something else to distract her attention. Exhaling, he slowed his breathing and thoughts, focusing only what nature presented to his senses.

Though he could tell that she was observing him with palpable intensity, his expression didn't change after a full minute of Mavis' staring,

Instead, he waited, his patience later rewarded by the slight shuffle of her damp dress, of her feet brushing against the blades of grass as she moved about. It wasn't until her presence was far enough for him to not notice that he relaxed and could properly meditate.

But his thoughts refused to stray from Mavis.

Who was she?

What was she?

Why was she here?

What did sh-

"Zeref," he flinched violently at the proximity of her voice, of her warmth, and quickly pushed himself away. His eyes landed on Mavis and her bright hair cascading down her shoulder, standing where he sat heartbeats ago.

Her head was tilted curiously, her expression remained unfazed. "I'm an illusion," she smiled, encouraging and understanding.

He felt his stomach twist unpleasantly. "You are."

Content with his answer, she skipped over to him, eyes shining and happiness radiating off her being, and took hold of his hand. He flinched again, though more subtly, and instinctively pulled away, but Mavis tightened her grip and dragged him to the river bank. A thought struck as she led him.

It was warm, her hand, and his fingers slightly tightened their hold on her. Everything about her was warm, everything about her was bright.

So, so warm that she couldn't possibly be an illusion. So bright she couldn't not be real.

"Ma-"

Then there were hands pressing against his back, a split-second touch that he would have missed were it not for the fact that they made him lose his balance. He stumbled forward, unable to steady himself on the uneven ground, and greeted the icy water with a shudder.

Coughing, he picked himself up, feeling droplets rolling down his body and spreading the cold further. Mavis was laughing.

It was filled with giggles in between and glances peeking at how miserable he looked standing in the water, it was loud and probably disturbed the wildlife, but it was beautiful all the same. He decided he liked her laugh more than her smiles and grins and infinite understanding.

He trudged out of the river and she quickly went to retrieve his toga, giggling all the way. He sat and she stubbornly dried him off, and he asked as she excitedly ruffled his hair under the guise that she was drying it.

"Why?"

"You were hesitating."

"I was cautious."

Her movements slowed to a stop, her hands resting on his head with the toga blocking her face from his sight. "Even the strongest of people need tobe pushed to do something."

"So you decided to push me into the river?" He sighed, moving to remove her hands and dry him off himself, but the hands wouldn't budge. "Mavis."

"You have a strong heart, an unbreakable will," she forged on, her hands clenching the toga, and she pouted, furiously scrubbing it across his head, "and you still act as if you don't."

"They are not mine."

"I gave them to you."

He winced when she scrubbed even harder, but didn't do anything to stop her. She was upset, and he didn't want to increase her ire. "You don't want me to hesitate."

"Yes."

"You want me to accept your gifts."

"Yes."

"Even if I don't need it?"

"Yes."

"Then what will you do?"

"Get another heart and make another will."

"I don't need two hearts, Mavis." He grabbed her wrists with one hand, stopping her relentless scrubbing. It hurt.

"But yours is weak," she mumbled, falling to her knees. Her hands felt heavy on his head.

He brought her hands down, slipping the toga off with it, and gazed at her solemn eyes. "Then I will make it stronger."

"How?" Her hands fisted the grass, plucking them from the earth. Crestfallen, her eyes stared blankly at her hands, a frown settled on her lips.

Placing a hand tentatively over her's, gathering her attention, his lips tilted into a weak smile.

"I have a wonderful fairy helping me right here."

And when Mavis let out a choked laugh, sounding breathless and helpless, and threw her fragile arms around him to hold him, he returned it, if only for a stiff second.


End file.
